DaRmaZat Launching today, the retro-inspired 2D action-platformer Okko The Exiled throws you into the demon-infested realm of Kutala, where the Demon Lord Yalda and his corrupted lords have plunged the land into darkness. As Okko, you’ll stomp, launch, bash and battle your way through side-scrolling stages packed with platforming challenges, environmental puzzles and demanding boss fights. Armed with the Mighty Fang and driven by a 1,000-year-old oath, Okko must uncover the secrets of his demigod-like powers, defeat Yalda and ultimately reconnect his isolated world with the heavens.
The adventure begins with Okko, also known as the Red Flame, arriving at The Old Throne after being summoned by his sister Gotto, where his grumpy father awaits. Before long, you receive a map of Kutala and meet Leena, one of several characters worth remembering as the story unfolds. As Okko ventures deeper into the demon lands, he gradually discovers the origins of his demigod-like powers and the role he is destined to play. The journey also introduces a colorful cast of charismatic, mythologically inspired figures, including Inana and Sophia, adding further layers to the game’s increasingly intriguing lore.
To smash through the local demon population, Okko relies on a club called the Mighty Fang. Beyond standard slashes, you can stomp objects out of the ground or swing hard to launch objects forward, and sending them crashing into enemies farther ahead, which is surprisingly satisfying. Furthermore, Okko features a Dragon Break Down meter – replenished via Beast Potions – that must be filled before you can activate it, triggering a devastating special attack. You can also unleash ranged projectiles using your Special Attack, with the ammunition replenished by collecting Ruby Skulls. These projectiles can be upgraded after defeating bosses.
Your club proves equally useful during traversal. Striking downward on objects or enemies triggers a trampoline-like boost known as the Launch attack, flinging you higher into the air. While initially handy for reaching hidden nooks, this mechanic becomes essential for tricky platforming sequences later on, where you will often need it in combination with precise timing, even if the game falls short of being a pure precision platformer.
Okko The Exiled is not a true Metroidvania either, but rather a hybrid action-platformer infused with puzzle elements. Side paths remain rare; occasionally, you can drop down or climb up to grab a green health skull or hunt down hidden side-quest items for rewards back at The Old Throne, but beyond these occasional detours, the game is largely linear, with you mostly moving to the right.
Unfortunately, the controls can feel somewhat stiff and sluggish during tight platforming. After jumping over an enemy, Okko also does not always automatically turn around to face his target. To make matters worse, progressing through certain areas requires keeping specific enemies alive – a bit frustrating when you realize it only after smashing everything in sight to pieces. Truth be told, because of this I even encountered a few softlocks where upward progress became impossible, though reloading the game thankfully resolved the issue.
Another mechanic that frequently halts momentum is Focus Mode, which boils down to a well-timed attack button press inside a rotating circle to activate Okko’s Heart Energy system. This not only allows you to deal extra damage and break enemy shields, but is also frequently required to unlock certain gates. But those are still the easy doors to open. There are plenty of other locked doors that simply don’t react to Focus Mode, leaving you to figure out how to bypass them, which can feel unnecessarily vague. Some barriers require launching explosives or firing cannonballs, while others demand using Focus Mode near environmental hazards or luring an enemy toward the door. Because certain enemies follow rigid, unyielding movement patterns, coaxing them into position can feel rather clumsy.
Structure-wise, each new world features two standard levels followed by a major boss stage. The first two stages reuse the same mini-bosses before tossing an intermediate boss your way. Defeating that intermediary finally unlocks the world’s Archont – the giant main boss. These large-scale boss encounters are where the game’s combat really comes into its own. While all encounters feature fluid hand-drawn animations and require some serious muscle memory to learn their distinct attack patterns, the Archonts deliver the most satisfying challenge and are ultimately the most enjoyable battles in the game.
That said, their attack patterns are generally clear and readable, but these fights hit hard, and it takes a fair amount of grinding to accumulate the red gems required for those essential upgrades. On the bright side, dismantling an Archont rewards you with a dose of Okko lore, revealing his alternate self in a parallel dimension and leaving you to discover exactly what this means for his story. Defeating each boss also unlocks a new upgrade for Okko’s arsenal of special abilities, such as Dash, Double Jump, an Uppercut during the Launch attack, or a more powerful Dragon Wave.
Fortunately, the game does offer a few ways to soften the difficulty somewhat. At The Old Throne, which serves as a central hub and place of respite, you can interact with allies, purchase goods and upgrades, and uncover secrets hidden beneath its surface. You can also unlock new abilities and, by collecting Deevols, gain access to optional Underground challenge levels that put your combat and platforming skills to the test.
In the stages themselves, you’ll also find regular save points, including one right before each boss, which take the form of Memory Flames. However, using the Exit Level prompt at these pillars is surprisingly risky: it discards all current progress, forcing you to restart the stage from scratch upon returning. In practice, this option is really only useful when revisiting an already completed level to grab a missed special item, after which you can immediately leave again.
Visually, the hand-drawn pixel art, fluid animations, and character designs carry immense charm, while the impressive musical score is another of the game’s strongest assets. However, because the exact same track loops across two full stages, the soundtrack can grow repetitive after a while.
Final Thoughts
Okko The Exiled delivers a charming pixel-art world packed with intriguing characters, stylish hand-drawn animation, and an engaging mythic plot. Supported by a great soundtrack and gameplay that blends metroidvania-like exploration, precision-platforming elements and soulslike-style combat with challenging boss encounters, the foundation remains solid. Unfortunately, controls are not always tight, and there is also quite a lot of puzzle-solving required for progression, which can seriously drag down the pacing. However, overall, I came away feeling cautiously positive.
Additional Information
Release Date: September 30, 2026
Reviewed On: PC. Download code provided by the publisher and PR agency.
Developer: Frozen Flame Interactive
Publisher: Eastasiasoft Limited
Relevant Links: Available on Steam.
